Eruca Vesicaria – Brassica diplotaxis
Rocket is an perinial with long deeply lobed, dark green leaves. These leaves have a pleasant peppery, nutty flavour. Rocket leaves and flowers can be added to almost all forms of salad, mixed with other greens and used raw with pasta, meats & pizza.
Annual
Wild rocket is an erect, mustard-like annual with branching stems and aromatic, deep-green lobed leaves.
It bears bright yellow flowers that mature in thin, tiny seed pods.
Wild rocket is very productive, producing leaves from early spring until autumn.
It can be cultivated in open soil or containers.
Plant in rows 25cm apart and pick a few leaves from each plant so they re-grow quickly.
Wild rocket is slower growing than rocket (Erica sativa) and has smaller leaves.
It also will grow only half the height of rocket and is more heat and cold tolerant.
Wild rocket is easy to grow and will self sow.
It prefers well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade.
Culinary Uses
Wild rocket is a popular herb with spicy, gourmet salad leaves that have a hot nutty flavor, very similar to rocket but more strongly flavored - it must be used sparingly.
It gives a herbal green aroma and a distinctive strong peppery flavor to a mixed salad.
Wild rocket can be added to stir-fries, soups and sauces.
Parts Used
The leaves
Medicinal Uses. It is said that
Wild rocket aids digestion, cleanses the blood and is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium.
